Reigning in Zoomies for Agility - Poodle Forum - Standard Poodle, Toy Poodle, Miniature Poodle Forum ALL Poodle owners too!

MericoX · 08-31-2010, 09:00 AM

We're in week 4 of our beginners agility class. Lincoln is doing AWESOME! I am still getting used to rewarding him with a toy vs food (he's highly toy motivated).

Tunnels are becoming a problem, as they have become orange poodle launchers. He goes in tunnel, I throw toy. Sometimes he just grabs it, shakes it, and comes back to me. Other times he shoots outta the tunnel and does 20 million zoomie laps around the course (he is doing stuff offleash).

While I love him enthusiasm and speed, I can't have him doing these in trials (yes, I know their a long time off), so I'm looking for ideas on how to fix this? We are going to work on recalls tomorrow, and putting him through the kiddie tunnel I have at the house to see if its the tunnel, or just being hyped up. Maybe I should put him on a long time to stop him zooming, but then I dont want him accidently knocking down equipment and scaring himself.

Other than that, he's perfect. He does mostly everything off leash (the class is a bunch of good dogs (even the english mastiff pup that doubles in size every week lol)

debjen · 09-01-2010, 04:47 PM

A couple of ideas..just remember I have a 4 year old cav that can still get the zoomies around a course..LOL..

working on recall is great..recall with great treats is even better.

a toy with a long line so you can reel him in when he gets the toy..

meet him at the end of the tunnel with a tug toy and play a game of tug for reward without letting him getting to run around.

Rocketagility · 09-09-2010, 08:12 PM

Wow you are way early in training to even start to worry about zoomies instead you should be loving them. It's great you have a dog that is toy motivated but find a food reward also just another tool in the toolbox and you can do shaping way easier than with a toy, you can also bring a second toy to class to help get your dogs attention back faster.

Keep him offleash, on leash work is a demotivator as for the zoomies don't reward them by laughing or chasing your dog they will stop if you don't reward them. You could also try running away from your dog chances are he wont let you get away.

My dogs first trial he was just 18 months old and out of 12 runs over the weekend he had 4 zoomies, they will happen but they go away.

You can never do to much recall work for me I watched Realy Reliable Recalls and I treated the checkins with my dog and it made the best and biggest change. I have called my dog off deer and bunnies and I know he would love to chase them.

Keep him off leash unless you are working one skill that the dog wont be running with if you think you have too. The last thing you need is like you said a crash with the leash attatched with the equipment you don't want a setback to fix.

You can tell the others in the class if your dog zoomies too close to them to just tell him to "get", or "GO" or turn there back on him.

MericoX · 09-09-2010, 09:56 PM

I want to nip the zoomies in the bud now, before he associates agility with running around out of a control. Or running around out of control when I call him and not responding is also not okay. He could also care less about food treats, it's a chore every morning just to get him to eat some days. I give him treats in class while we are waiting out turn, but he is not one (for example) that you could lure up onto a dogwalk/a-frame with treats (with my schnauzers I can).

Rocketagility · 09-09-2010, 10:33 PM

I believe there is basically 2 roads in agility one where the dog has drive and goes like a bat out of hell and the other where the dog is completely under control and sorry to say more than likely slower. I like the driven dog sure it has cost us with off courses and missed contacts in the beginning but I have a fast Standard poodle now still and we are competing at the masters level.

Now zoomies are done for a couple reasons one is stress and the other is for fun. Without seeing you or your dog it is hard to say for sure. If it is stress then keep working and always make your training fun and without corrections and your dog will have less chances to stress. I no longer use Non reward markers in training stop saying NO in training it will be the best thing you will ever do. If your poodle is self rewarding then I say challenge him more and start running with your dog, I bet you are trying to fix stuff all the time stop fixing stuff it is demotivating. If your dog for example runs past the weaves then work just weaves and weave entrees in a separate training session.

One more story that I found out about my dog and zoomies I went to a trial and my dog had not done zoomies for about a year so I thought they where long gone from our first trial. Anyways I took my dog out to get ready way to early I am talking about 30 minutes too early and we played and did tricks and obedience and tug and a bunch of stuff to keep him focussed and he did amazing, so we finally get called to the ring we walk in a perfect heal and I take off his leash and without any warning he explodes into the craziest zoomies I ever saw he ran the course 3 or 4 times by himself before he came back. We NQ'd. The next run I basically took him directly from his kennel to the ring and it was his best run ever.

So what is happening with your dog is he bored or is he over worked?

I still say agility and food treats are invaluable also I am not a fan of luring in dog training look up shaping or operant conditioning. Make your dog hungry cook up some beef liver or chicken breast try salmon or stinky cheese. Hand feed your dog for a week or two till he learns to take food from you nicely.

MericoX · 09-10-2010, 08:25 PM

He zoomies for fun. It's mostly when I'm running with him and he gets that wild-eyed butt tucked zoomie look to him and off he goes. LOL.

Yeah, we just go and have fun. But I also like to keep in mind that we're training to some day compete. If he misses obstacles, no problem we keep going. We'll come back to it and stop after the previous missed obstacle and jackpot it and play with his tug. I'm not new to agility, just he's a complete 360 from my schnauzer girl.

Rocketagility · 09-12-2010, 09:46 AM

It sounds like you are doing the right things, have fun with him and don't worry about his zoomies they will fade away I am sure if you ignore them. I know some people said I must stop everything and pick my dog up and carry him off and kennel him and he will figure it out. hmmmm I am not too sure this is the correct stratagy with a poodle I really think the best way to deal with it is teach the equipment so they have value and show the dog it is more fun to run with you than to zoomie away. Another thing I think that helped is I ride my bike with my dog I can't run as fast as my dog but I can ride with him as a team.

highhorse · 09-12-2010, 10:03 AM

Other than your agility training, is your dog getting plenty of off lead exercise? Inca zoomied a lot before she had a reliable recall and could be let free on the meadows. Also instead of running with your dog, try some waits at the beginning of your course and make the dog chase you. Little dogs enjoy chasing. The only time I would stop the flow is to reward something that she had previously not understood.

Rocketagility · 09-15-2010, 05:45 PM

Susan Garrett says to treat the holes and not the ends I agree treat the good stuff too often we forget to stop and reward the dog before he messes up.

Just as a side noet tot his I heard of a study where they ran mice in a maze and at the halfway point they treated them. They then ran the mice and didn't treat them at the half way point and the mice ran the last half faster. So in practice treat you agility mice/dogs at the half way point and when you actually trial they should finish faster.